St. Edward Parish, Newark: June 2005 Archives

This made interesting discussion at the breakfast table this morning. It is close to what we have been considering doing at the parish. I am not sure that I would dismiss the kids from class, but I am interested in separating attendance at class from formation for the sacrament. Why should attendance at class mean one is ready for a sacrament?

There are other factors determining readiness for a sacrament, the way you live being one of them.

Attendance at Mass is something to pay attention to. If you are not attending the liturgy, if your familiy is not part of the community, why is there a perceived right to the sacrament, unless it is diminished to simply a cultural rite of passage.

I spent part of my day off taking some pictures. Thirty eight (38) of them can be found here. When I became pastor, the parish did not have a crucifix. The new GIRM requires a cross with a corpus and the Risen Christ figure added two pastors ago does not seem to qualify. It is not forbidden, it is just that a crucifix is required. Ours has been installed next to the ambo. It is quite beautiful and so I have taken several pictures of it. The corpus came from Italy, and the wooden cross was fashioned out of Blood wood here by Ken and Cruz who did a beautiful job putting it together. If you look at the old picture of the sanctuary you will notice that the new picture has new statues, ambry, font, easter candle and credence table and including the new crucifix.

Rev. Steven Lopes, a priest of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, is a native of St. Edward Parish and a graduate of the parish school. He was a student of mine when I taught there in the '80s. He was in my 6th, 7th and 8th grade class and he sang in the choristers and in the Advanced Choir back then. Formerly associate Pastor of St. Anselm Parish in San Anselmo, CA, the Archbishop sent him back to Rome to finish his doctorate which he sucessfully defended yesterday.

We knew this kid would go far. We just did not know that he would go this far this fast.

He was supposed to return to the Bay Area where he would serve as Director of Clergy Formation. With Archbishop Levada's recent appointment to the Vatican all that has changed. Steven has been tapped by the Archbishop to serve as a doctrinal official in the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, and to serve as excecutive assistant to the Prefect.

Congratulations, Steven, on a sucessful doctoral defense and your new appointment.